£55k to be spent on skate park upgrade

Victoria West

A £55,000 cash injection is set to give Berkhamsted skaters a plush new facility.

Dacorum Borough Council has secured £25,000 in National Lottery funding, which along with £30,000 in council money will be used to upgrade the Canal Fields skate park.

New obstacles will be installed so that skaters can progress their skills and more people will be able to use the facility at one time.

Work will also alleviate the current flooding issue, which puts the skate park out of action during the wetter months.

Councillor Neil Harden said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we can upgrade the quality of our skate park in Berkhamsted and provide somewhere for young people to get active and improve their skills all year round.”

The council will be working with The Swan Youth Centre who put on skating sessions, the Herts Valley Clinical Commissioning Group and other partners to ensure that young people feel safe at the park and are encouraged to make the most of the facility.

A spokesman for the Herts Valley Clinical Commissioning Grou said: “The importance of increasing physical activity, particularly amongst young people, is a key message in both the Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Hertfordshire, and our Public Health Strategy. The World Health Organisation have also noted the benefits of skateboarding facilities for young people – particularly with regard to increasing physical activity in groups who might not be able to access other options. This project will improve access to a facility that has proved popular with young people in the community.“

Lottery funding has been provided through Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund, which has been helping to breath new life into tired community sports facilities since 2011 investing £94million into more than 1,800 projects.